#architecture211

Puzzle Pieces

A graduate of the Riga School of Design and Art, Paula Lorence created objects to aide children with autism in their sensory development. Her Taktil collection has 12 objects made from 8 different types of materials. Each objects is designed to help produce different tactile sensations when touched by the children. These objects are used during therapy sessions by therapists working with autistic children. Tactile sensation activates the sensations of touch and texture. This sense is used primarily to sooth anxiety. Lorence separated the objects into three categories, the first for children who are particularly sensitive, the second for children who are more developed and the third for children who have anxiety or panic attacks.The projects goal is to help autistic children achieve higher levels of concentration and reduce their stress. The reason behind this design was that one in every 58 people are affected by autism. Architect has long been a vital resource in the medical field and this is just yet another success in the realm of that. When I think about architecture and medical items, my mind tends to stray toward the cardiac or heart side of things. Many architects design artificial heart and defibrillators to aide your body in performing the daily functions it needs to survive. I also think of artificial knees, plates on a person bones and other things. However, I do also think of braces and such that a person wears outside their skin, as an architects creation. These items include knee braces, splints, ankle braces and even braces for your teeth. One body part that I cannot think of a lot of artificial items to aide it in working is the brain, and these 12 objects do just that. The brain is very unknown to people in the medical field and they learn more new stuff about it each and every day. The creation of these objects to help autistic people with their cognitive abilities shows me there is progress being taken relating architecture to the brain. Though doctors may not physically put the splint or item on your brain, like they would an artificial knee or hip, they are thinking outside the box and using kinetic movements to in turn strengthen your brain.

Not your average Starbucks

A Japan architect, Kengo Kuma, stacked 29 shipping containers to make the most unusual Starbucks I have ever seen. The structure has windows and skylights in its 320-square-metre café. The shipping containers are stacked four high at right angles to each other. The inspiration behind Kuma’s design was coffee trees and traditional Chinese bucket arches. You might be wandering, “Where is the drive thru at?” but they have a window on a first floor container that houses the drive thru as well. The brand owns over 45 container coffee shops, which is interesting for me because I have never seen such a thing. This is the first time Kuma has used shipping containers for his work though he designed a Starbucks using 2000 thin wood batons previously. Shipping containers have been used by architects for years. This article was intriguing to me because I didn’t know shipping containers could have that many purposes. I have noticed the late fad trend where people live out of shipping containers in “tiny houses”, but I haven’t seen or heard of a commercial business moving into the shipping containers until after this article. Hopefully this will be a Segway for more companies to start doing the same. Chain companies like Mcdonalds, Chic Fil A, Krispy Kreme, and Dunkin Donuts could see the success Starbucks is having working out of a shipping container and try to imitate their success. This move is very risky as a business but also offers high reward.

Reindeer Games

 Cycle #1 (8/28)

 Mountain, house, train, sky, bison, grass, valley, rock, clouds, snow, wood, building, fire, sun, wind, day, night.

 Cycle #2 (9/6)

 Clouds, hazy, wild animal, wooden, snow caps, fire, crinkle, glass, marble, crystal clear

Cycle #3 (9/13)

 Mountain, house, prairie, savannah, animals, ecosystem, sky, day, bison, snow, cold, log cabin, fire, sun, valleys, night, box, warmth, rocks, plants, hikers, moon, nature, clouds.

 Cycle #4 (9/18)

 Orange train, brown desert, clear glass, blue skies, brown wood, yellow-orange fire, grey clouds, white snow

Cycle #5 (9/25)

 Old house, new train, vast countryside, wide prairies, large bison, green pastures, unique house, welcoming fire, changing sky, rotating seasons, changing stars, cold mountains, warm summers, cold winters.

 Cycle #6 (10/2)

 - The fireplace crackling in the building on a dark night

- It provides warmth on a seemingly cold day

A Day Always remembered